Science and Wisdom

The International Year of Astronomy is meant not least to recapture for people throughout our world the extraordinary wonder and amazement which characterized the great age of discovery in the sixteenth century. I think, for example, of the exultation felt by the scientists of the Roman College who just a few steps from here carried out the observations and calculations which led to the worldwide adoption of the Gregorian calendar. Our own age, poised at the edge of perhaps even greater and more far-ranging scientific discoveries, would benefit from that same sense of awe and the desire to attain a truly humanistic synthesis of knowledge which inspired the fathers of modern science. Who can deny that responsibility for the future of humanity, and indeed respect for nature and the world around us, demand - today as much as ever - the careful observation, critical judgement, patience and discipline which are essential to the modern scientific method? At the same time, the great scientists of the age of discovery remind us also that true knowledge is always directed to wisdom, and, rather than restricting the eyes of the mind, it invites us to lift our gaze to the higher realm of the spirit.

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Dear friends, modern cosmology has shown us that neither we, nor the earth we stand on, is the centre of our universe, composed of billions of galaxies, each of them with myriads of stars and planets. Yet, as we seek to respond to the challenge of this Year - to lift up our eyes to the heavens in order to rediscover our place in the universe - how can we not be caught up in the marvel expressed by the Psalmist so long ago? Contemplating the starry sky, he cried out with wonder to the Lord: "When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you set in place, what is man that you should be mindful of him, or the son of man, that you should care for him?" (Ps 8:4-5). It is my hope that the wonder and exaltation which are meant to be the fruits of this International Year of Astronomy will lead beyond the contemplation of the marvels of creation to the contemplation of the Creator, and of that Love which is the underlying motive of his creation - the Love which, in the words of Dante Alighieri, "moves the sun and the other stars" (Paradiso XXXIII, 145). Revelation tells us that, in the fullness of time, the Word through whom all things were made came to dwell among us. In Christ, the new Adam, we acknowledge the true centre of the universe and all history, and in him, the incarnate Logos, we see the fullest measure of our grandeur as human beings, endowed with reason and called to an eternal destiny.

—Pope Benedict XVI, Address to Vatican Astronomy Congress, October 30, 2009

The Vatican is also celebrating the International Year of Astronomy with a special exhibit on the history of astronomy in Italy over the last 400 years. See below for more.

via IYA2009

Happy Darwin Day!

Cross-posted from Classical Bookworm

Today is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, father of evolutionary biology. This year is also the 150th anniversary of the publication of one of the most influential books ever written, On the Origin of Species.

Now, let's be clear. Evolution is not a theory. What Darwin theorized was the main mechanism that causes it, natural selection. It's not "the theory of evolution" but "the theory of evolution by natural selection." Evolution itself is a fact that is literally written in stone and written in every living thing on the planet. It was described long before Darwin, and even the ancient Greeks had an idea of it. What Darwin did was painstakingly put together his minute observations of natural history into a scientific explanation of how species change and diversify over time.

As a biologist I am particularly indebted to Darwin and his contemporaries for elucidating the mechanisms behind evolution. Modern biology is founded on evolution; biology just doesn't make sense without it. Natural selection is without question one of the most powerful scientific discoveries of all time, and Darwin deserves a place next to the likes of Newton and Einstein in the pantheon of science.

If you saw any television news today you know that there were special celebrations of Charles Darwin, including the unveiling of a statue of him as a student at Cambridge (take that, Oxford!). In fact the celebrations began last summer, commemorating the day Darwin first presented his findings to the Linnean Society, and will continue until the 24th of November this year, the exact date on which On the Origin of Species was published. The Natural History Museum in London has a special website dedicated to Charles Darwin and his discoveries: Darwin200.org. Attenborough fans might enjoy the video on (animal) evolution at the Wellcome Trust's Tree of Life site. A more thorough treatment of the history of life on Earth is the Tree of Life Web Project, which today is featuring party balloons and an animated gif showing Darwin blowing out a candle on a birthday cupcake! Silly biologists.

The Deep Ecology Platform

The passing of Arne Naess has prompted me to go back to the beginning and present the basic principles of deep ecology. They were developed in 1984 by Naess and George Sessions during a camping trip in Death Valley, a location that perhaps enhanced their reverence for life by virtue of its inhospitable climate.

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1) The well-being and flourishing of human and nonhuman life on Earth have value in themselves (synonyms: inherent worth; intrinsic value; inherent value). These values are independent of the usefulness of the nonhuman world for human purposes.

2) Richness and diversity of life forms contribute to the realization of these values and are also values in themselves.

3) Humans have no right to reduce this richness and diversity except to satisfy vital needs.

4) Present human interference with the nonhuman world is excessive, and the situation is rapidly worsening.

5) The flourishing of human life and cultures is compatible with a substantial decrease of the human population. The flourishing of nonhuman life requires such a decrease.

6) Policies must therefore be changed. The changes in policies affect basic economic, technological structures. The resulting state of affairs will be deeply different from the present.

7) The ideological change is mainly that of appreciating life quality (dwelling in situations of inherent worth) rather than adhering to an increasingly higher standard of living. There will be a profound awareness of the difference between big and great.

8) Those who subscribe to the foregoing points have an obligation directly or indirectly to participate in the attempt to implement the necessary changes.

(Source: Devall & Sessions, Deep Ecology)

Arne Naess, 1912–2009

Arne Naess, the grandfather of environmental philosophy, passed away this week at the age of 96. He coined the phrase "deep ecology" in his 1973 article, "The Shallow and the Deep, Long-range Ecology Movements: A Summary," and set off a new wave of philosophical enquiry and environmental activism that seeks not to reform our ways of life but to transform our ways of thinking about our environment. He not only wrote about nature, he lived in it and fought for it all his life. He wrote many of his books in a mountain hut called Tvergastein, after which he named his own personal philosophy, "Ecosophy T." He also fought to preserve nature in his native Norway, once even chaining himself beside a waterfall to stop a dam from being built. For him environmental philosophy was not an academic exercise but a foundation for political action.

I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Naess about ten years ago at a dinner party. It was an entirely informal occasion, and I don't know if philosophy was even mentioned once. Like a groupie I stuck around after dinner and was treated to the sight of Arne Naess, world famous philosopher, playing Superman on the floor with the children! That was when someone told me that he had made various appearances on Norwegian television as a wrestler, and not too far in the past either! In honour of his playfulness, I leave you with this remembrance of Arne Naess...

Rest in peace, Arne.

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The Trumpeter: Journal of Ecosophy recently published a large number of articles by and about Arne Naess. They can be read online—click on the issues for 2005 and 2006.